Work in Progress Wednesday 208

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing great. I'm sorry this is so late today. I kinda forgot it was Wednesday since my normal Wednesday knitting group met yesterday. I'm so excited for the next few days because I have a group of friends coming to visit, Ruth from Rock and Purl, Rijel from Black Market Wool, Stephanie, who is starting an amazing bag company soon and does the Pick and Throw blog with Rijel, and significant others. We're going to Disneyland on Friday and California Adventure on Sunday, and of course knitting while we're there. The rest of the time just bumming around San Diego, knitting and cross stitching.

I don't have too much to share this week. I'm working on another secret project that I can't share just yet. What I CAN share is the progress of my awesome Armande cardigan!

The picture is a little dark, as I was at a coffee shop, but as you can see I've finished the pockets, zoomed my way up and just finished the decreases. I'm not two rows away from starting the upper body! I adore this pattern so far and it's FREE!


As mentioned before, my husband and I are turning our basement into a tiki bar. (A basement in SoCal...odd I know). Anyway, it already had a wet bar from the original part of the house (the house was built in 1955), so we're just tiki-fying it. We have a TON more to do, but we finished the bar front this weekend. The top will be totally covered as well, but I wanted to show you the work so far (and my mom really wanted to see it. HI MOM!) If you look in the reflection of the mirror, you can also kinda see the side walls...and me. LOL

 

The side dark pieces are carved by my husband, though it's a little hard to see. Soon we'll be finishing the ceiling, painting the floors and finishing the walls. It's definitely an on going project. I'll keep giving you guys updates if you're interested.

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of your week! For fun knitting pictures at Disneyland this week, you can follow me on Instagram at @candyskein, Rijel at @rijelviolet, Ruth at @rockandpurl and Stephanie at @befadee.

Work in Progress Wednesday 201 and a Raffle!

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday and 4th July/Canada Day week! I hope you all had a great weekend. We worked around the house the whole weekend, but it was awesome. Sometimes those are the best weekends.

Before I get into WIPW, I wanted to let you guys know that I've teamed up with Meaghan from The Apologetic Knitter (@socalmeaghan), Rijel from Black Market Wool (rijelviolet), Alicia from Sea and Lake (@seaandlake) and Stephanie (who makes awesome project bags and will be selling them soon, @befadee) to bring you a raffle!

Unfortunately we can't share the entire details with you yet, but we CAN provide you with a teaser AND a chance to win socks made by the wonderful and fantastic @socalmeaghan.

If you're fortunate enough to win, you will receive a pair of socks out of the colorway Emerald Bay dyed by Black Market Wool.

 We've decided that instead of a giveaway where you post to win and gain us more followers, we're going to do a raffle. Do you love animals? Do you want socks that will fit your feet so perfectly you'll never want to take them off? Do you want to know how to enter to win??!?!??! Well, here are the deetz:

To get in on this and win a pair of socks, it's $5 per entry. I know what you're thinking, what the heck? You guys just want my money! Well, we do...but we won't be getting it $5 at a time!

Your $5 will be going to RedRover. They are a nonprofit in Sacramento, CA that rescues and helps animals in need. They help with natural disaster relief for pets and even provide grants for people who are no-income or low-income to help cover costs of seriously injured pets.

So, if you want to participate AND help some unfortunate pets, head on over to http://www.redrover.org/, hover on "donate" at the top of the page and click "make a donation." Here you'll be able to make your donation. As it was said before, it's $5 per donation, so if you feel like donating $10, your name will be entered 2 times, $15 - 3 times, $20 - 4 times, $25...you get it, right? Yep, FIVE times your name would be entered for the raffle.

Now, the important part: Once you've donated, you will receive an email back. The email will have your address (which Megs will need to be able to ship the winner beautiful socks), and the amount donated (which will be needed to put your name in the raffle). Forward this email to: pick.throw@gmail.com Stephanie and Rijel will be monitoring this email and adding your names to the list for the raffle. 

Stay tuned for that something amazing and fantastic that was mentioned earlier!

Thanks for reading and for those who donate! Now onto WIPW!

 I've caught the cross stitch bug again!!! It's been taking up most of my crafting time. I started this cute little cross stitch this weekend and it's flying by. I'm hoping to have it finished in time for the 4th and it looks like I'll make the deadline. It's a Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery design, who I adore. Their patterns are so clear, and fun.

 Here is the start of the pattern for my Dad's sock. I love the way it looks but man is it slow going. I'm not sure I'm going to stick with the pattern as it's a 16 row....SIXTEEEN ROW repeat. Dear god. LOL Anyway, I'll get a little further and see if I can take it. If not, I'll pull it out and do something that will go a little faster or that I can at least not having to carry the pattern around with me every single row. I'm using Candy Skein Yummy in Midnight Mousse.


That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great rest of your week and have a safe 4th of July!

Work in Progress Wednesday 195

Hi everyone. I hope you had a great weekend. We had a relaxing Saturday and on Sunday went to Disneyland and California Adventure a few hours. That's always fun.

The fires here in San Diego were intense last week, but luckily the weather has changed and really helped get them under control. It was 106 degrees on Thursday, about 35+ degrees hotter than our average. We're back down to 70F already, which is crazy but welcomed. our thoughts are with all the family who lost homes and businesses.

I've had some time to do some knitting and cross stitching due to the extreme heat last week.

This is the hat I started last week. The pattern is Sockhead, which is free on Ravelry. As I think I mentioned last week, I went with 136 sts instead of 144 and am using a US 2 needle. I'm using Black Market Wool The Milo Twist in No Use For a Name.

I started this cross stitch awhile back for my husband but am getting to it again. I love working on cross stitch. It's such a different kind of relaxing vs knitting. I hope to finish this soon, as my husband is back on overtime for the next four weeks. Lots of time to craft!

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great rest of the week!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!  

Work in Progress Wednesday 171

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I'm just posting this now. Since my friend Alea is in town, I totally forgot it was Wednesday since I'm not working. We've had a ton of fun doing touristy stuff in San Diego, but also just hanging out and watching tv. We've also had tons of fun with a Rainbow Loom (a bracelet maker with rubber bands) that Alea bought while here.

I've gotten a little time to work on a few projects with knitting group and last night. I got a little further on my second Hogwarts Express shawl. The eyes are added and I've done two more rows since. I love the way it's coming along, and though I was unsure of the square matte black eyes for the owls, now I like it.

I also started the Gingerbread Lane cross stitch pattern from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. As you can see I don't have a lot yet, but this pattern is adorable! We glitter sprayed our linen, which is so awesome!

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of the week.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesday 168

Hi everyone. I hope you're all doing great. Happy early Halloween. I love love love Halloween and this year we're staying home to watch scary movies and hand out candy. I hope we get lots of kids at the house this year. :)

This has grown a bit since last you saw it. Here in this picture, I've done the body of the shawlette/scarf and am now working on the owl border. Again, this is the Hogwarts Express pattern by Susan Ashcroft. I'm using Candy Skein Savory fingering Oatmeal Cookie.

Thanks to those who helped me on Instagram last night in the bead decision. I have these blue beads, and also tan ones and couldn't decide which I liked. Almost everyone picked the blue so that is what I went with. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. Right before I typed this, I finished putting the eyes on all 29 owls.

I'm also still working on my cross stitch Halloween sampler. Unfortunately, I won't be finished by Halloween, but I will keep working on it until I finish it. I love this pattern so so much. This pattern is by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

For those interested, Candy Skein October colorway, Candy Corn, will be gone on Friday! Be sure to grab a skein before it goes away.


That's it for me today. I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesdasy 163

Hi everyone. Happy hump day. I hope all is well. Thank you for all the awesome comments regarding Yarnbox. I'll have more posts about it coming soon (I really promise despite being a huge blog flake lately).

I have been in a knitting funk lately, which isn't good since I have to finish a sample shawl for my fiber show coming up the 12-13th of October. I just can't find my mojo and I'm sure breaking my needle last time I worked on it didn't help. I've been considering starting a fun whatever project that will fly off the needles like fingerless gloves or a hat, but then realize, if I spend all my time doing that, I REALLY won't have enough time to finish the shawl. Sigh.

Instead I've been having a GREAT time with the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Halloween Sampler. It's pretty much what I've been working on every night. Isn't it adorable so far? I've done the first three squares and then am working backward on the 2nd row because I don't want to move my Q snap frame until I have to. It will spell Halloween when it is finished. And yes, that IS a Halloween themed needle minder!

Speaking of Halloween, Friday I will be releasing the October '13 colorway of the month. I am SOOO excited for it, that I couldn't help myself. For a sneak peek, head over to my Instagram account (@candyskein). Not only did I post a glimpse (or two) of the new color, I'm also taking preorders that will ship Friday morning!

That's it for me today. Have a great rest of your week.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesday 161

Hi everyone! I hope all is well this week with you. After taking last week off, I'm back to work again. It's funny when you take time away from work that you love. Getting back to it gives you a new refreshing take. I had a great day of dyeing yesterday and got so much done. It was really rewarding.

I also had time to work on the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery Halloween Sampler. I forget if I've shown this before, but isn't it awesome? I still have a bunch of the border to do, but after seeing the first few days that were sent this week, I had to start! Each square has a letter (9 squares in total) that will spell Halloween. I love working on this! Also, how amazing is my needle holder in the upper left corner?!? Awesome, right?

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great rest of the week. Tonight we are seeing Neko Case in concert which I am SOO excited about. She's one of my favorite singers and I hope it's a great show.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesday 157

Hi everyone. I hope all is well for you. I have a few things to share with you today, which is exciting! First off, my Elfe, which you've seen the past few weeks, but I'm pretty close to finishing. Give it another week or so and it should be good as gold!

 

 I must say. So far I am like stupidly proud of this pullover. It has gone super fast and seamless (knock on wood) and I just love the colors together more and more each time I work on it. Work is going to get crazy again between now and the end of the month, so keep your fingers crossed that I'll find time to work on it.

Speaking of having no time, you may remember my Woodland Sampler by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I'm super behind, but I found a little time this weekend to start on July so that I can try and get back up to date. Again, I didn't get too far (I didn't do the borders in advance, unfortunately), but at least I was able to start last month's!


That's it for me today. I will try and remember to post Friday! We have Tiki Oasis starting on Thursday (those of you who have followed this blog the past several years know that it's an event we attend every year), so I hope to post it in advance so I don't forget!

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of the week.


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 141

Hi everyone. I hope you have awesome stuff planned for the weekend! We've going to Ink N Iron on Saturday and probably just hanging out on Sunday, as we'll probably have to recover from Ink N Iron!

Today I have the June Woodland Sampler cross stitch square by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

Adorable right!? The lightning bug swirl is sparkly gold! I hate working in the sparkle thread but love how it turns out in the end.

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Share your FOs

Work in Progress Wednesday 147

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. We had a quiet one at home with not much going on. Unfortunately I didn't do any knitting, as I was rocking on my cross stitch! One of them, the June Woodland Sampler square, I finished, so I'll share that on Friday.

I know I've showed this before, but it's been awhile and I've done a little bit more. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's slow going, let me tell you. There's a LOT of stitches on this cross stitch. I'm not sure if I've ever shown the final product (of what it will look like if I can ever finish it).

As you can maybe see, the part I'm working on is where his legs meet. The dark patch is his back leg, the lighter, his front leg and the navy blue vertical banner looking thing is one of his coat tails. As I said, this thing is going to take me FOREVER! HA!

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of your week and I will see you Friday!


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 139

Hi everyone! I hope you had a good week. I was super busy so I'm very excited for the weekend to come, especially since it's a long weekend here in the US. Monday is Memorial Day, which is always the unofficial start to summer. This weekend is the start of grilling, watermelon, deviled eggs and tiki drinks in the backyard. I can't wait!

This is the finished May square of my Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery Woodland Sampler cross stitch. I've also finished the frame section for June, so come June 1st, I'm ready to rock. I'm having so much fun with this cross stitch and was just telling my husband that if it continues the way it's going, I want to get it nicely framed. Each month gets better and better in my opinion.

That's it for me this week. Have a great and safe weekend!

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 144

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday.  I hope you are having a great week.

 

I realized Monday afternoon that I wasn't actively knitting anything, and my knitting group meets Monday night. This past weekend I worked a lot on my steam punk cross stitch, and didn't have time to really think about what I would be knitting for the week. I had so much fun with the Sweet Summer Rays shawl, I knew I wanted to make another shawl. I remembered I had purchased several Stephen West patterns last year during a 50% off sale he was having. I thought the mix of this skein of MadTosh Sock in Spectrum that I bought at Stitches West.

Here's the start of the shawl. I have to say, this yarn is GORGEOUS! This picture doesn't even do it justice. I can't wait to see this shawl grown and how the colors will pool.

That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of the week. On Friday I'll have my Sweet Summer Rays shawl to share!

 

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 136

Happy Friday everyone!! Today is a busy day for us over here. It's my Corgi Milo's 4th birthday (Happy birthday Mi!), it's Candy Skein's 2nd birthday and tonight is a fun/big night, as we are going to the Defiance launch party (the game my husband has been working on the past 5+ years) for my husband's company. It should be a good time.

I also wanted to thank you for the good wishes for my cat, Roxy. She's feeling better, though still sneezing/watery eyes but MUCH better. She doesn't want to be held 24/7.

 This is my Woodland Sampler cross stitch from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. As you can see, I did finish April in time, which I'm so excited about! This is my favorite one so far I think. May is just as cute, but you'll have to wait until Wednesday to see the start of that one.


I hope everyone has a great weekend. We're taking Milo to the beach or lake (we haven't decided), Starbucks (he loves it there!) and a pet store to buy a new birthday toy on Saturday.

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 142

Hi everyone! Happy May 1st! I hope you're having a great week. Today I get my haircut and styled and am very excited about it! I usually go to the cheaper places, but this time I actually have an appointment at a real salon. I'm nervous and excited..we'll see how it goes! That's all that's going on here other than yarn dyeing, knitting and cross stitch! I guess it's time to get to WIPW!

I started this new cross stitch for my husband's studio/guitar room! It's steampunk based and is going to take me FOREVER. It's really big (I think 10"x16" or a little bigger) and the WHOLE thing is filled in, not just the main image. That's a whole lot of thread and stitching. So far it's fun and almost feels like a puzzle. I'm coloring in the chart with a blue pencil as I got so I don't get confused on what I've already completed. You'll be seeing this thing grow slowly but surely and for a very very long time. I apologize in advance. I'll only show it when it changes a lot.

Sorry for the awkward picture, but my kitty is sick and I'm holding her while trying to take this picture sideways. Not an easy thing to do! This week I've also worked a little on my shawl, but haven't had a ton of knitting time lately. I didn't pick up any knitting at all this weekend! Crazy, right? This is the Sweet Summer Rays shawl and the KAL is still going on on Ravelry. You're welcome to still join in!



For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Work in Progress Wednesday 141

Hi everyone. I hope you're having a great week and that the weather shapes up for those of you who are still getting snow in the northern part of the Midwest! Unreal!

I have a few things to show you this week, a few new things in fact.

 

As you may remember from Friday, I finished March, so I thought I would show you the little bit of April I've worked on, as well as how it's all laid out so far on the sampler! For those asking about cross stitch patterns last week, I'm pretty new to cross stitch and don't know too many books/mags to recommend. I buy all of my patterns from Etsy and The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery! There are amazing Etsy cross stitch patterns out there.

 

 

This is my Sweet Summer Rays shawl for the KAL we're doing. It's knit out of Candy Skein Sweet Fingering in Foil Wrapper. So far it's going great! I think I'm on line 25 of the pattern if I remember correctly.

I obviously just started this tonight. This is my first time trying out two at a time socks, so I decided to just do something basic. I'm doing a 3x2 rib using a size 0 (I didn't have a 40" cable in anything else I could find that would work) needle. I normally use a 1.5 needle so I cast on 70 stitches to allow for the smaller needle. We'll see how it goes. Next time I might just try a 32" cable. What does everyone else use when doing two at a time? The yarn is Candy Skein Yummy fingering in Tardis Tart Ombre.


That's it for me today. I hope you have a great rest of the week and I'll see you on Friday!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

FO Friday 134

Hi everyone. So sorry for the delay on getting this up! I don't have much to share, but I did finish my March cross stitch for my Woodland Sampler by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Yes, I am behind on it, but I did start April right away to try and get right back on track! It looks a little crooked in the pic, as it's in the q-snap and the linen is being pulled a little.

I hope you all have a great weekend and everyone please stay safe in Boston and Texas, or everywhere for that mattern!

Share your FOs!

FO Friday 130

Happy Friday everyone! It's a happy Friday in my household as my husband has all of next week off! This weekend there are some fun things to do around San Diego and we're going to take full advantage. Saturday we're going to a Busker Festival at a touristy area called Seaport Village, that's on the water (as the name says) and has shops and restaurants. The festival is free, which is awesome. We went a few years ago and had a great time. Sunday is a street fair in my neighborhood and it's even walkable for us. It's supposed to have food, music, games and craft booths, so I hope the weather is nice. I also get to pick up my sewing machine today (Friday)! I can't wait to hear her purr.

As far as FO Friday is concerned, I did finish something. I shared my WIP cross stitch, Fair Friends on Wednesday, and I just finished it. This was a very quick and easy (plus fun, which is always good) pattern. I thought it was perfect for my studio space! It's actually on light blue Aida fabric, but weirdly looks off white in this picture. As mentioned, the pattern is Fair Friends by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I love all of their patterns!! Once I frame and hang it in the studio, I'll be sure to show it to you again. :)

Have a great weekend and a fun (and safe) spring break if you get it off!!

Share your FOs!

Work in Progress Wednesday 136

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week! I have some awesome news since I last talked to you. We went to an estate sale on Friday afternoon and found a Singer 403A sewing machine from around 1960. It hadn't been used in over 12 years, so I was a little nervous buying it, but I couldn't pass up the price. It even has the original cabinet! I took it into a local sewing machine repair place and they said it just needs a serious cleaning (obviously) and a little love and I get it back on Friday! I'm sooo excited, I can't wait!

I have a few new things to show you today for WIPW!

First off, I started a new cross stitch! I'm making this for my studio and the pattern is called Fair Friends. It's by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and is one of their older patterns. As you can see, I've finished the cotton candy (candy floss for those on the other side of the pond) and the corn dog. I have the caramel apple started there. I'll keep the final guy a secret until it's finished. ;)

This beautiful pattern is Variance by Lisa Mutch. Lisa is the owner of Northbound Knitting and is awesome! If you haven't checked out her simple yet sleek/elegant patterns before, please do! I'm using Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in the colorway Ruby Love. I started this last Thursday and it's going great. It's an easy pattern that is only a two row repeat and makes a simple, yet lovely long cowl.


That's it for me today! I'll show pictures of my sewing machine when I get her back at home! Have a great rest of the week everyone!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!